“What? Aside from the floor clock, are there any other clocks here?” The Server frowned. “Are you implying it’s hidden somewhere?”
“Well, how about you try to guess?”
She remained silent, once again silently raising her pistol and pressing it against Bingying’s temple.
“Damn it, do you really need to do the same thing a second time? You’re making this incredibly awkward for me!”
“At least it’s effective, isn’t it?” The Server sneered.
“Honestly, you completely miss the joy of puzzle games. If you always just hear the answer from others, how can you ever experience the delight of figuring it out after racking your brain?” Luo Tianchen sighed.
“Cut the damn nonsense. Rather than solving these rigged puzzles, I’d much rather revel in the joy of money. You have three minutes left.”
“It seems I’ve wasted my breath… The key to the final puzzle lies right on this round table.” Luo Tianchen walked unhurriedly to the meeting table and patted its surface.
“This meeting table? Are you saying there’s a clock hidden somewhere within it?”
“No, no, no. Take a closer look at the shape of this round table.”
“This round table? It’s simply a circle with twelve chairs haphazardly arranged around it, nothing more.”
“Are you genuinely dense or just pretending? I truly wonder how someone with your intellect became a spy and remained undetected for so long… Hey, hey, I’m just kidding!” A small hole suddenly appeared by Luo Tianchen’s feet, hissing and emitting gas.
‘These are real weapons after all… It seems escaping amidst the chaos is impossible.’
The Server calmly blew away the wisp of white smoke from the muzzle of her gun. “This is your final warning. I don’t appreciate jokes. Do you understand?”
“Yes, yes, yes! In any case, if you look closely, doesn’t this table resemble a clock?”
“You mean the twelve chairs represent the twelve hours?” she mused aloud.
“Precisely! If the computer indicates 03:00, then all we need to do is pull out the chairs at the 12 o’clock and 3 o’clock positions… and that should be it.” Luo Tianchen explained, pulling out the chairs as he spoke.
Yet, nothing happened.
‘…Huh?’
“What a pity. It seems you’re useless now.” The Server waited for a moment, and after confirming no changes in the surroundings, she spoke, her voice laced with regret.
“No, wait! Give me a little more time!” In an instant, Luo Tianchen understood the hidden meaning behind her words.
‘No! Something is definitely wrong! It shouldn’t be like this!’
Bingying watched Luo Tianchen silently, like a thornbird with its chest pierced, a sorrowful yet beautiful smile gracing her lips. Her lips moved subtly, and though no sound reached him, he read her words.
“Goodbye.”
‘It felt as though Luo Tianchen had witnessed this scene before.’
“Ugh!!!” His head, without warning, began to ache as if consumed by searing flames.
‘Ah, yes. Three years ago, The Man had similarly bound Yue. Yue had looked at Luo Tianchen and uttered the exact same words.’ Then, The Man (the Server) had said to him:
“Time’s up. It seems this girl must die.”
Memory and reality fused into one.
“No, no, no, no…” Luo Tianchen mumbled, repeating the words like a broken record. Terror completely consumed his mind. The Man (the Server) looked down at Luo Tianchen, who was kneeling on the ground, and spoke coldly: “This is your punishment.”
‘No, no, no! Luo Tianchen had already, already resolved to escape that life! He was different from his past self! This shouldn’t be the ending!’
The Man (the Server) slowly pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The girl collapsed.
She was dead, blood staining the ground.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Luo Tianchen let out a shriek that sounded utterly inhuman.
‘All this time, Luo Tianchen had believed he had escaped far, far away. Yet, in the end, he couldn’t outrun fate.’
“So, do you wish to change all of this?” a voice spoke within his mind.
‘Change?’
“Yes, change talents, divine authority, the future, the past, and even… destiny.” The voice was utterly devoid of discernible gender or emotion, yet it undeniably tempted him.
‘…What should Luo Tianchen do?’
For some reason, though it was the first time he had heard this voice, he trusted it unconditionally.
“It’s simple. All you need to do is ‘wish’.”
‘Wish?’
“Because this is your own exclusive… power!”
‘Luo Tianchen, wanted to…’
“It seems time has run out.”
‘Eh?’
“I look forward to our next meeting. And then…”
“Wait, just wait a moment!”
“What choice will you make then?”
Light. Endless light, bleached his vision white.
“Luo Tianchen…”
It seemed someone was calling his name.
“Luo Tianchen…”
The voice was so familiar, yet he couldn’t recall her name.
“Tianchen…”
Gradually, the light dimmed, and her figure slowly began to form in his vision.
‘Right, she is…’
“Chen…”
He called out her name.